“Grandfather, you did not get her banished from society, did you?”
“Of course not. Just felt it should be known why the family is disowned. No harm in that.” He helped himself to some of the eggs and ham on the table.
“Sneaky.”
“Probably but one must allow we old folks our little pleasures.” He ate some of Mrs. O’Neal’s excellent scrambled eggs. “My men must be in heaven right now sitting in a warm kitchen eating food like this. Malcolm might even forgive me for dragging him to someplace where they have such things as rattlers.”
“Is he one who ye think is thinking of coming here or wishing on it?” asked Iain, who helped himself to a piece of ham.
“I think so but that may have changed his thinking.”
“Why? Rattlers here. Adders in England,” said Emmy. “Every place has its snake in the garden. This place might just have more but because it has not been settled for hundreds upon hundreds of years. So, people have not killed all the things they do not like.”
“True and surprisingly cynical for you, Emmy. Have you found something you do not like here then?”
“Well, winter can be more brutal than I like but I have a house and fireplaces. Wolves grab his lambs but Iain has put up a fence and keeps a close watch. The vastness. And I have not found a solution for that yet.”
“The vastness?” Her grandfather frowned and ate his eggs. “You are right. That is hard to adjust to and if it matters as to getting goods or having friends, even more so.” He frowned and looked at her. “Emmy? You looked pained and startled. A very odd combination.”
“Can you get Mrs. O’Neal, Iain?” she asked quietly, not sure how there was any way she could get out of the awkward position she now found herself in with any grace at all.
“Mrs. O’Neal!” bellowed Iain, and Neddy nearly fell out of his chair he was giggling so hard.
Emily rolled her eyes. “I could have done that.”
“Then why didnae ye?”
The way he was watching her told her she was not hiding much at all from him. A glance at her grandfather said the same about him. There would be no slipping away with her wet skirts and not letting anyone know her water had broken. She would have to get to her bed soon though if the waves of pain rippling through her stomach were any clue.
Mrs. O’Neal came rushing in and ran to Emily’s side. One quick glance told her what the problem was and she dashed off again. Iain was staring at the door the woman went through as if she had suddenly had a fit of madness but then Mrs. O’Neal came with a thick robe and a handful of towels. Helping Emily to her feet, Mrs. O’Neal yanked the robe on her, and then dropped the towels on the floor. Emily sighed. It would help with the mess but it certainly was not going to help save her dignity.
“Come along, dear, we will get you out to your room,” Mrs. O’Neal said after linking her arm through Emily’s. “Iain, put some water on to heat.”
“What for? I want it born, not cooked. Ow!” he yelped when Mrs. O’Neal slapped him upside the head.
“For keeping things clean. Now git.”
“Em?” said Neddy.
“She is going to have that bairn, lad. I can call ye when she is ready for ye to see it, if ye want.”
“Yes, please. I will go play with Rory now.” Neddy ran out of the house and Iain went into the kitchen.
Carrying his cup of tea, the duke followed Iain into the kitchen and sat at the table as Iain heated water. “I do believe Mrs. O’Neal is one of the reasons we cling so hard to our system.”
Iain laughed and sat at the table opposite the duke. “Quite probably. She was what we needed when we got here about twelve years ago. But she needed us, too, and this place. Took one look at my stockade and decided that was the perfect spot for a new widow and her three bairns. By the time she had been here a year we had built her and the kids that cabin.”
“Why the stockade?”
“Safety. I had lost enough people. I wanted walls, rather like a castle has, to hide me and my brothers behind.”
“And now your wife and child.”
“Children. Keep Neddy safe, too, Your Grace.”
“Call me Harold. This is America, after all. You know I want the boy for my heir.”
“I do but I think that has to be his choice and he is too young to make such a choice now.”
